Over de Moerdijk (English: Over/About the Moerdijk) documents the Dutch village of Moerdijk, in the Noord-Brabant province located in the southern Netherlands. A small village of 1100 inhabitants with roots in fishing and peat extraction from the Hollands Diep river, Moerdijk is believed to have continually existed in some form since 967 AD.

The village gained national attention in early 2025 with the announcement of its planned demolition. Its location was deemed perfect for the expansion of the Netherlands’ vulnerable electrical network, in the country’s march towards its ‘energietransitie’ away from CO2-emitting fuels. However, some claim the area is slated for less noble purposes, including massive data centers for foreign tech giants, which will only serve to strain the Dutch electrical grid even further.

I spent a week in Moerdijk’s sole boarding house in early December 2025, hoping to learn more about the village’s history and its people. Getting around by bicycle, I took to documenting the village and speaking with its residents. I also set off documenting the Port of Moerdijk, the massive adjacent industrial zone set to take over the village.

The village has a difficult relationship with technological progress, with the construction of the North Sea dams impacting the village’s fishing industry, and the construction of the nearby Moerdijk Bridge reducing the village’s role as an important ferry corridor. Yet, Moerdijk has demonstrated a fierce tenacity, persisting and surviving its challenges throughout history. As of early 2026, many of its people are still fighting for the fate their village, hoping to keep the history and culture of Moerdijk alive for generations to come.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the kind people of Moerdijk, as well as Stichting Heemkunde Moerdijk, the keepers of the village’s history whose resources and hospitality were crucial to this project.